Posted by Ernie Long
a resident of University South
on Aug 22, 2010 at 9:15 pm

It was a real shock to hear of Don Castle passing away, so sudden and final. As boys we shared the same high school Cubberley, than we were teammates at Foothill College. After 1963 about a month after I set the American record for 50 miles at Searsville Lake(6 hours 51 minutes) I entered the Army. I lost contact with Don. He hurt his shoulder in our senior year in football and was just beaten out by Craig Morton from Campbell, who went on to become the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. i guess, I am dismayed on how little his passing meant to so many of the people he came in contact. Rest in Peace,Don God be with you.

Posted by Bruce Kentera
a resident of Barron Park
on Aug 23, 2010 at 11:07 pm

Don Castle was not only an outstanding athlete, student and individual, he was my very close friend during our time at Cubberley High School in the late 50's and early 60's. I cherish my memories of Don and his wonderful family who took me in as a son. I also cherish having been able to compete with and against Don in baseball and basketball, two sports he excelled at but for which he was less well-known. Don could do anything he set his mind to and usually do it better than most any of his peers. My wife and I double-dated with Don and his date to the Cubberley Junior Prom in 1960 and it was probably then that we fell in love. Don's passing is painful to me and I hope that people will always remember him in a positive manner.

Posted by Allen Culver
a resident of Green Acres
on Sep 4, 2010 at 5:51 pm

I had the privilege of playing football at Cubberley High School with Don Castle my Senior year (Don's Junior Year). He was an awesome talent and a true leader for all of us. I first met Don when I was in the eighth grade and he in the seventh. At one time in our young careers, we had the same girl-friend, not at the same time, however. In 1964, while at Stanford University, several of us went to the Cow Palace to watch an indoor track meet with the top athletes from around the country competing. Lo and behold, Don Castle was one of the participants in the shot put, which he handily won. He had grown from175 lbs in high school to something over 225 lbs, maybe more. There was a sprint, as part of the competition, where the field guys ran a 200 yard sprint against one another. Don blew them off of the track, As Bruce Kentera suggested and to which I agree, I will always remember him in a positive manner. He meant so much to all of us.

Posted by Dave McQuery
a resident of Old Palo Alto
on Feb 3, 2013 at 9:02 pm

I have seen some articles regarding local athletes up here in the Portland, OR area that were crowing about the high school shot put "records" of 62 and 63 feet. It seemed to me that we, at Cubberley, had someone a little better than that--50 years ago! I looked up Don's records on the internet, and read the news of his passing. I played on the same football and baseball teams as Don, but I will tell you, I was never in his league! As for the shot put, I remember looking at the chain link fence at the end of the pit during out sophomore years. It had huge dents in it and was replaced and the pit lengthened to accommodate his extraordinary talents. I can't claim Don and I were ever close, but he was always an inspiration to me as well as to many others. RIP. -- Portland 02/03/2013

Don't miss out on the discussion!Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.

Email:

Post a comment

Posting an item on Town Square is simple and requires no registration. Just complete this form and hit "submit" and your topic will appear online.
Please be respectful and truthful in your postings so Town Square will continue to be a thoughtful gathering place for sharing community information
and opinion. All postings are subject to our TERMS OF USE, and may be deleted if deemed inappropriate by our staff.

We prefer that you use your real name, but you may use any "member" name you wish.